It’s Monday *blah-blah* Yep! You guessed it…I’m having one of THOSE Mondays. I think we all do from time to time. Sometimes you just have to put a smile on your face and keep it movin. A start of a new week should be exciting right? New blessings, new opportunities, new goals, etc. “You are what you think.” I’m going to take my Monday Blues and invest them into positive thoughts and look at my cup as half full.
Carpe diem.
I shared in a previous post about my first half marathon. It was such an incredible experience! Running is something that I truly enjoy and love! It’s a personal thing for me. As I climb to higher heights, I set new goals (big and small). I push myself past limits and boundaries to prove to myself that anything is possible. People often ask me about the races I’ve done in the past or what races I plan on doing. Of course Mercedes Marathon was a big accomplishment, but I found myself being guilty of saying things like, “I only ran the half, not the full”. I would say, “Hold up now!” (to myself of course), “13.1 miles is a big deal!” One day I do plan on running a full marathon; but right now, I’m very happy where I am on this journey. To all of my runners whether it’s a 1K, 5K, 10K, 15K, 13.1, or 26.2…just KNOW “every mile is EARNED, never given”. Sometimes we just need that reminder. Be happy for every accomplishment, PR, health goal, and beyond!
I wanted to share this post via I ♥ to Run:
13.1 Miles… It ain’t half of anything!!!
I remember running my first half and thinking, “Oh, I’m only doing the half.” Excuse me? I’m ONLY doing the half? NO. No, no, no, no, no. I’m running 13.1 miles. THIRTEEN POINT ONE MILES. I’ve trained for 3 months, giving up most of my Saturday morning sleep in time to get up and run. I’ve forgone the Cheetos for Cheerios. I’ve swapped the brewskis for water. I’ve chafed. I’ve been sore. I’ve lost toenails, had blisters, pulled muscles. Basically, I’ve worked hard to get to the point where I can run more miles in one morning than most people will drive the entire weekend. So this is a big reminder to me and to all half-marathoners not to cheapen the distance. It’s COOL to be a half marathoner. No, it’s not the big dog, but that doesn’t make you any less of a runner. Be proud of your accomplishments! You’re able to run 13.1 miles! And that is pretty frickin’ sweet.
- Amy (The Bookworm Wife)
This has to be one of my favorite smoothie combos! It’s absolutely delish! Great way to get in your fruits, veggies, super foods, and power foods.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Combine it all and blend away! (*If your smoothie is too thick, add water)
Enjoy!
What a blessing it is to have great women in our lives. Wishing you all a Happy Mother’s Day!!!
-xo
Wow! I still can’t believe it’s been two years since I started my blog. I remember like it was yesterday when I posted my first blog post. I absolutely LOVE blogging and My Pretty Brown Blog has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done. So many things have changed over the past year. I turned one year older and my passions and desires also changed. What a difference a year makes! That happens as you get older you know! *Whispers* especially after the tender age of 30. Yes, I’m STILL a young tenda! Most of you, who have been following me since the beginning, know that my blog initially started as a “natural hair blog” titled, Pretty Brown Naturals. Boy did that shift! I couldn’t write about one thing without another. Then this creative mind situation I got going, I knew limiting myself was just absurd! As you get older, you realize that you have to take care of yourself a little differently — that became a priority — then becoming more active and changing my lifestyle happened. I absolutely love thrifting, reading, natural hair, trying new recipes, but my other two favorite things which go hand and hand are: cooking (yes, this girl likes to eat) and health/fitness. Well that’s kinda like three, but they go together like Micki + Maude, Olivia + Joy…you got it! Over the past few years I’ve also grown to love and enjoy running! I know to some non-runners it may sound crazy — but it’s true. It was kicked into overdrive when I attended and participated in a 10K Race (Drive to End Hunger) in Atlanta, Ga. That’s when I knew this was something I wanted to make a permanent part of my fitness regime and life. With all that…
I have this great outlet to share my experiences. I’ve met so many bloggers, friends, and just amazing people on this journey. Thank you so much to every person who has subscribed to my blog, shared a post, left a comment, shared with me that you tried a recipe (and LOVED it!) or just took the time out to read it. It means more than you know. It makes my heart happy when someone says,”You’ve inspired me!”, “Girl, my husband loved those chicken and dumplings!”, “My wife liked your post on those twisty braid things.” (yes, this really happened lol), or “Hang in there. You can do this!” I feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. For every Bloggers Block and every out-pour of ideas that I can hardly contain myself, I know it was all worth it. Now that is MY inspiration.
I had such an incredible year full of traveling, meeting new and inspiring people, and giving back to worthy causes. I met my favorite author, Kimberla Lawson Roby, at her book release tour. Traveled to Hawaii for a little work and pleasure. Met a celebrity in the running world, Jim Ottinger. Got an opportunity to attend Inauguration for the second time! Attended Essence Festival for the first time ever and it was a blast! I participated in “Run For Boston”, an event that touched us all.
One of my proudest moments was completing the Mercedes-Benz Half-Marathon! Three years ago you couldn’t pay me to believe it either. This was my first half-marathon and it will always have a special place in my heart. I met some amazing people and realized how much the running community totally rocks! It’s one big family and I’m grateful to be a part of it. This event was a blast and I look forward to many more to come. Thank you to everyone who encouraged, inspired, motivated, supported me and/or even said, “Good luck on your race!” (or any race). It means so much.
“In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, ‘I have finished.’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that.”
-Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder
Everyone knows my LOVE for vintage, thrifting, and hair! From turbans to twists or $1.00 vintage blazer to a fanny pack, I love it all!
Yes, I enjoy cooking and I like to eat! I have some incredible recipe posts from this past year. What’s even more awesome is finding healthier alternatives to the foods you love! Juicing, soup, smoothies, comfie food, baked (don’t it taste fried?), and all kinds of other yumtastic goodness!
I look forward to continuing this joyous, fun-filled journey by creating and sharing new experiences. A big THANK YOU again to all of my readers!!! I’ll have something exciting to share in the upcoming weeks. Be on the lookout, because someone may get lucky!
Yesterday morning I was finishing up my run and I ran into a celebrity of the running world! Well after you hear all about him, you will think so too! This tall man, who looked like he could outrun me any day lol, ran up to me and said, “I kept trying to get your attention, but you run too fast and I can’t keep up with you.” We both laughed. He was so witty. He introduced himself as Jim (Jim Ottinger) and asked if I knew who he was. I remember hearing or seeing his name somewhere, but couldn’t quite recall at that moment where. He asked me my name, then got into his story of how he started running at the age of 54 (mid 1980′s). At the time, he weighed around 270 lbs and was diagnosed with heart disease. Per doctors orders he needed to change his lifestyle or he wouldn’t be around long. He decided to make changes not only for himself, but also for his family. He set a goal — and a marathon it was! (That’s 26.2 miles for those who didn’t know). It’s been history ever since.
He said, “Out of all these years of running, I’ve never had an injury….you wanna know why?” I said, ” Why?” he said (with a big smile on his face), “Because, I got Jesus!” — I said “AMEN”! We talked a little about my church (Church of the Highlands) his church, (Mountain Top Church), Jesus, how I started running, my passions, and some of my fears, concerns, etc. Me trying to pick his brain a little, I shared with him how sometimes I get down on myself because I don’t run very “fast”. With a puzzled look he said, “Fast? What’s fast?…You don’t have to run fast, you run easy. When you run, take it EASY.” At first I thought he was just trying to make me feel good, but he stressed “Easy” and “You don’t have to run fast” several times. At that moment, I knew someone was listening. I stopped comparing myself long ago, but every now and then that “fear” (or whatever you want to call it) will creep back in. I know I’m not the only one on this journey that has felt like they had to go faster or be stronger. But yesterday — I realized that I didn’t have to be. Not taking away from anyone who has shared encouraging words along the journey, but yesterday I needed to hear it.
Back to Jim…
You wouldn’t believe it if I told you he is 80 years young, would you? I sure didn’t! He ran the original marathon in Athens, Greece (involving TWO mountains) <<< did this in five hours AND in 96 degree heat (yikes!), ran across the Great Wall of China, ran the 100th Boston Marathon, and ran on six continents. Over 100+ marathons later, 53,000+ miles of pavement — he’s still going strong!
Meeting Jim yesterday was totally unexpected. It was a true destiny moment — a God moment. Before leaving, he gave me a magazine with an article for inspiration. He said to me, “I’m so proud of you, keep running!” This totally made my day. I’m so thankful to have been at that place, at that time. It felt great to hear words of wisdom from someone who has been doing this thing for 25 years+ that many people respect and esteem highly.
I was the girl that finished with the last half of mile run finishers in P.E. class in grade school. I wasn’t last, but it was close enough. Back then, it was a big deal! I was a cheerleader, clogger, dancer, flute player for goodness sakes and I did them all well, but running…so not my thing. As an adult, I could barely run 30 seconds without having to stop and walk (btw there’s nothing wrong with doing intervals either, especially if you are trying to build up). I even completed my FIRST half-marathon (13.1 miles) this past February (running with short brisk walk intervals). However, for the first time last week, I was able to run almost THREE complete miles nonstop (no walking). And guess what? Today, I’m running a 5K without walking. I can’t wait to keep building up to see how far I can go! Instead of trying to hurt myself reaching a distance by a certain time, I focused on how far I could go and endure by just running freely — Easy. I started off with a goal of 15 minutes, then 25 minutes. I would’ve kept going had Jim not stopped me lol — but, I’m so glad he did. I will never forget him or that moment. I now realize that everything comes in time. I’m not competing against anyone. This is MY race, my race for life!
Sincerely,
Forever Inspired!
Jim was so excited to take this picture. He had on his shades, but he wanted to make sure you saw his eyes!
(No really, that’s what he said! *smile*)
So he took them off! Gotta love it!
I received a birthday coupon from World Market so I decided to go get me a wok! I’d been saying I was going to get one for almost a year. A girlfriend of mine had been posting her stir-fry dishes on The Gram and I was like… “That’s it…I’m going to get one!” I’m glad she shared where her wok came from, because I remembered my birthday coupon that I could only spend on non-alcoholic items (Boooo!) Kidding.
I whipped up this delicious Guiltless Shrimp Fried Rice for dinner the other night and it was YUMTASTIC! Easy-peasy!
Ingredients
Note: You don’t have to use organic, this is just what I used.
Directions
Yields 4 servings
This is my first time having a “fried” rice with brown rice and I must say it is delicious! This is a healthier alternative to your traditional fried rice. You get your power foods, good carbs, good healthy oil, and veggies all in one dish!
